Cons of iPhone and Apple TV

[chevy]

Originally Posted by mindbend

....
But to be clear, I think both of these products are excellent. I already ordered my AppleTV. Personally I think the AppleTV will be more influential than people think.

I fully agree !

[symphonix]

Originally Posted by fryke

1.) Onscreen keyboard. I have yet to use one that actually works fine. If it does, that's good, but I don't believe it just yet.

Did you see a demonstration of the on-screen keyboard? It seems quite clever, and uses an error-correction system that automatically turns "siunds prwtty cpol" into "sounds pretty cool" by looking at the keys surrounding where you pressed. I don't think anybody has tried it quite like that before.

Compared to the methods millions of people use every single hour to send SMS messages (tap tap tap tap S tap tap U tap tap tap C tap tap K ...), or the tiny keyboards on existing smart-phones, I'd expect Apple's method to be quite an imporvement.

[andychrist]

And as Steve Jobs pointed out, the problem with devices that rely on buttons for input is that they can't be altered or added to after manufacture. Obviously the iPhone was designed to accommodate the installation of new apps by way of Widgets, whether written by Apple or authorized third parties. But really I think the potential of the new technology here is even more important and exciting than the phone itself: "The first thirty years were only the beginning." Just imagine the possibilities of multi-touch and predictive computing on full-sized, high resolution displays, with auto-orientation via the accelerometer. Suddenly you can manipulate your computer desktop as intuitively as if it existed in real space, never having to go back and forth between keyboard and mouse. If Apple incorporates MT into its whole line, and optimizes Leopard for it, that will really change computing as we know it. And hasta la Vista, baby.

[Qion]

I fully understand the complaint of being tied to Cingular. I wouldn't want to be tied to Cingular either, they suck. However, somebody will inexorably figure out how to unlock the iPhone (just like every other phone that has come out in the past couple years) and start selling it on eBay. At that point, the carrier argument becomes unarguable.

I share Fryke's skepticism about the on-screen keyboard. I really can't imagine typing with one finger being that good, error correction or not. You're still pecking a character for each letter you intend. I can't wait to actually use one of these things in person, for I have many aesthetic things I would like to find out in the flesh.

The iPhone name was a stupid move; it's been in use (and trademark) since -AFIAK- 1997. I don't understand what Apple was thinking... they're more talented than using someone else's name, whether or not it goes along with their concurrent scheme.

As far as the TV goes, how the hell are PC users going to type that name? But seriously, I wish that it could output *at least* 1080i. Also, three hundred USD is just a bit pricey for what it does. I would rather use my (coming) MacBook to do what it does. (As we all know, their current laptops can output through an HDMI cable.)

[fryke]

Originally Posted by symphonix

Did you see a demonstration of the on-screen keyboard? It seems quite clever, and uses an error-correction system that automatically turns "siunds prwtty cpol" into "sounds pretty cool" by looking at the keys surrounding where you pressed. I don't think anybody has tried it quite like that before.

Yes, I've of course seen the demonstration. Very slow typing indeed. The main killer is that you don't "feel" where on the keyboard you are, so you have to look. But since your thumbs are on the keyboard, you don't really _see_ that much. a "real" keyboard, be it oh so small, gives you _some_ information through the shape of its keys. Believe me: I've tried a *lot* of input methods on small devices in the past decades, and most of them are lacking. The eMate was good, but that had an almost normal sized keyboard, so that doesn't count. On a "normal" mobile phone like the Sony Ericsson W810i I'm currently using, I'm actually very fast, because T9 works very well for me. I'm also quite fast on the Nokia Communicator, which has an actual keyboard that's quite a bit bigger than a treo thumbboard.
but onscreen keyboards have _no_ tactile feedback. It simply _isn't_ the best thing there can ever be. I understand that it's been done in favour of having the whole face be the screen - doesn't change that an on-screen keyboard is less than ideal. Try to find an exclamation mark -> you've got to switch to the numeric/symbol keyboard and then back again. Ugh... *If* they have multi-touch, they should have done a Shift-key for crying out loud. I'm just saying: Only because Steve said so, it doesn't have to be the best thing ever. I'm _also_ saying that I'll buy one the minute I can.

[Ferdinand]

Originally Posted by Qion

As far as the ?TV goes, how the hell are PC users going to type that name?

How do you do the Apple sign?

[chevy]

Originally Posted by fryke

Yes, I've of course seen the demonstration. Very slow typing indeed. The main killer is that you don't "feel" where on the keyboard you are, so you have to look. But since your thumbs are on the keyboard, you don't really _see_ that much. a "real" keyboard, be it oh so small, gives you _some_ information through the shape of its keys. Believe me: I've tried a *lot* of input methods on small devices in the past decades, and most of them are lacking. The eMate was good, but that had an almost normal sized keyboard, so that doesn't count. On a "normal" mobile phone like the Sony Ericsson W810i I'm currently using, I'm actually very fast, because T9 works very well for me. I'm also quite fast on the Nokia Communicator, which has an actual keyboard that's quite a bit bigger than a treo thumbboard.
but onscreen keyboards have _no_ tactile feedback. It simply _isn't_ the best thing there can ever be. I understand that it's been done in favour of having the whole face be the screen - doesn't change that an on-screen keyboard is less than ideal. Try to find an exclamation mark -> you've got to switch to the numeric/symbol keyboard and then back again. Ugh... *If* they have multi-touch, they should have done a Shift-key for crying out loud. I'm just saying: Only because Steve said so, it doesn't have to be the best thing ever. I'm _also_ saying that I'll buy one the minute I can.

I agree, tactile feedback is required for typing letters. Sound feedback may help but is not as good. Maybe there is some kind of tactile feedback emulator in the Apple Phone ? With simple transducers ? Like the road feedback emulator from Citroen that vibrates your seat when you approach a white line ?

[mdnky]

Originally Posted by Ferdinand

How do you do the Apple sign?

Usually Shift-Apple-K will do it, but that doesn't always work in forms on webpages. I have a copy sitting in a file which I cut and past from...can't remember why it works this way or where it came from through.

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